@xcool : You taking your time to come back here with your findings and experience is much appreciated. Not everyone does that. Your detailed post should help many members of the community, and this is exactly what these threads are about.
I am not surprised with your findings. I have owned both Cardas Clear Reflections and Kimber Select (al three tiers of Select XLRs). The KS1116 is by far the best value for the money with Select